Educational device for teaching spherics.



PATENTED FEB. I3, 1906.

R. E. DICKERSCN.

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE ECR TEACHING SPHERICS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

t rior ERNEST. ijioKERSoN, or BoLDEa CREEK, oAL1FoRN1A.

EDUoATloNAL DEvlC'E No. $12,408. i

To 'g1/ZZ whom, 711% may concern;

Beit known that I, ROY ,ERNESTDICKERL SON, a citizen of the United States,residing` at Boulder Creek, Santa .Cruz county, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Educational Devices for Teaching Sphericsj and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear', and exact descriptionof the same. f-

My invention relates to the general class of educational appliances, and "particularly to devices forr illustrating4 and teaching mathematical relations, especially those whichpertain to the sphere. l

For illustrating the propositions of spherics, whether those ot geometry or trigonometr it is common to use -anlop'aque sphere wlth a'blackboardesurface. `Two disadvantages of this device are kquite pronounced, both growing out of the opacity of the spherical blackboard. The first is the difficulty of vdelineating with suflicientaccuracy antipodal figures, and the second is the difficulty of visualizing successively-seeri figures on opposite sides of the board long enough to permit a proper comparison. These and;` other disadvantages of the appliance now in use my invention overcomes, and at the same time it secures advantages peculiar to itself, all of which will be hereinafter fully explained.

The nature of my said invention will be seen from rthe following description, taken in the sphere.

connection with the accompanying drawings, v to which reference is hereby made.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is la` erspective view of thedevice, `showing the sp erical pro tractor fitted to it.` Fig. 2 ifs a perspective view of one of he figure forms which may be used in connection with the device. /Fig 3 is y a detail v iew showing such use.` Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the transferrer. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the transferrer fitted to The sphere, or, as it Vmay be termed, the spherical board, 1 is essentially transparent. It may be made of any suitable material which will permit vision through it, so that marks anywhere upon its surface may be seen withouty change of osltion either of the observer or of the boar In practice a glass globe will be found well adapted for the purpose, both because such globes are already on the marke-t for various purposes and because a pencil or crayon ada ted to mark on glass is now well known. T e globe, though v it may be a perfect sphere, is for all practical.4

y l Specification ofkLetterls Patent. t Appucaanaieaaugua19,1905. ssame. 274.818.

FOR'TEACHIANG sPHEmogs.

j Patented Feb. 1s, 1906.

considerations one which has a truncated flanged foot 2, which enables it to be satisfactorily mounted.- The mounting here. shown comprises a base 3,1having on its to a sectional clamp 4,'engaging the flanged oot'2 of the transparent spherical board 1. This clamp 4 consists-cfa plate divided into two sections, as indicated 1n Figjl, the adjacent. edges of the two sections belngr provided withk a semicircular socket adapted toembrace the foot vof vthe board 1. One of the sectionsof the clamp 4 is a removable and adjustable one, as indicated by the thumbscrews 5, fitted in slots 6, thus adapting the clamp to be opened for the insertion and removal. of the s here andclosed to retain and hold it firmly.

hese operations are-effected by loosening the thumb-screws 5, which ass through the slots 6 into the base 3, and s ipping the movable section backward away from the other section until it frees the foot ofthe board 1, and by pushing said section upjagain toits place to engage the foot of said board, and then tighteningL the thumb-screws. A further essential for the fullest adaptation of the device for theuses intended is that the spherical board 1 be hollow, as; I

access to its cavity being had transparent here shown, throu hits open foot 2. This feature permits t e most convenient useof several interior accessories, the princi al one of which is the center sight 7. This sight may be of' any suitable character. It is here s own as a v small ball mounted on the top of a stem 8,

which is fittedre'movably in a socketed post 9, rising from the base 3. The si ht 7 lies in the center of thesphere yand ena les the vi- Y sion to be accurately directed diametrically to determine antipodal localities .in the drawin of corres onding or related figures. The ho lowness o the s here and the construction of the base as t us described are of further utility in connection with any suitable figure forms. 'Une such form is shown This form 10 is made of any suitable material and is mounted upona stein 1 1, which when the center sight 7, with its stem 8, is removed from the post 9 replaces said sight byfitting its own stem in the post, as is seen in Fig. 3. The figure form 10 is thus mounted within the hollow sphere, and its upper edge is raised up sufficlently close to the inner wall of the sphere to enable the instructor to easily Van accurately trace frts outline in encil upon the outer surface of the board. T is figure form 10 represents any L IOO- IIO

throughout one -half its length is providedV 'with aiscale l5, over which the extremity of ay arm -1'6 is adapted to play. .f This armji lspivotally connected atfits other endv i V ythumbescrew'17.'A 'small-clamp 18, which f fis'secnred tothe band 12 and is similar'to the `2 5 '22, hereinafter described, is ada ted vof a series ofvformsl which may-be thus-used -'for the purpose of accurate delineation on the tracton such asris here shown. f It isrc'omeatcircle band l2'and two half- Y great circ e bands 13 and; 14 secured togr'eat-circle band 12..- fA= thus formed which readilyiitseuponand is vrfn'nfable' over the sired, as is seen in board. In connection Withthe spherical board k1t is often advantageous to use a sphericalpro-- posed of a geth'er, the latter in planes-at :right angles to'v each other" andi both at' right an les tothe',

' ind lo basket is sphere to 'any osition de-l igg-l t These ands indi-1 cate the great circlesand ma" be used ,as vcircles upon 'tothe' great-circle band 12 Vand isset by a 'f gtoengage lthe'ireeend ofthe arm to ho d it l .adapted to playfi-rThe other end 'of this arm is pivotallyvconnectedto the half-circle bands enables one to draw free-hand figures rapidly 6o `from the board as needed.

yin enabling accurate antipoda drawing and simultaneous visualization of opposite fig-r 'l when not in use., By means? of .this arm an- 1,., fg`les'rnay be 'measured. Onehalf of the great-circle'band 12 -is provided with a scale 19,`o'ver which the `extremity "of an arm20 is at their intersection.l and is set bya screW'Zl. A small clamp'22,l which is .secured totheV half-circle band 1.4,-.and consists of a small piece'l ofV spring metal, is ada ted to engage the free end of the arm to hol' it when not 111 use.-` By means of this arm arcs on the great circle may be measured. The protractor is. adapted to be readily fitted to and removed ures are obvious. Some oi its further advantages and uses may be described as follows: The center sight 7 is a guide to the eye and and accurately. It checks u the accuracy and brings out the relations o opposite symmetrical' triangles and polygons. It aids the eye in locatingdiametrically opposite points. Such propositions as Two vertical spherical polygons 'are symmetrical, Two vertical Brame Yarcs and construction of great circles.

the quick drawing of fi symmetrical. isosceles spherical triangles are veqlial, ffIf two angles of aspherical triangle -areequalQtheop ositesides areequal,"ThreelA planes passed t ough thecenter of a s here, V

each perpendicular to .the other two, ividef the surface-of the s here into eighttrirectan-V nier-triangles, t he shortest line that can e 'drawn on the surface of a sphere between two points ls'the 4are of -a', great circlenot greaterfthan 4Ft serncircurnference `joinin 'these oints,. Two synnnetric-al'spherica trian'ges. Lare equivalent,f and many others are clearly seenV when a central referencef' point 1s given.

The device .is not confined to spherical. geometry and trigonometry'.Y It ma be used in connection with astronomy and geography. Thus the center sight may be physical Y considered thefearth and the hollow sphere a `celestial globe of infin-ite radius. Then the ositions of the heavenlybodi'escan be readilyl located. .Again, thecenter sight would bring out antipodalrelationsa'V vmap of the World A were ldrawn .u on y the'sphere. jrThe meridians and paralle s ,could be shown' com;y

pletely, andv corresponding points one hundred and eighty degrees apart could ybe readi ily located b vsighting on the center.

Thetransfei'rer 23 enables *one t'ojtransfer iigures about ythe surface ofthe s here at will. In order to bring out more clear the use 'of the transferrer, I have shown on t e spherical board 1, `two small triangies A B C and A Bv C', which are opposite symmetrical triangles.

Make avtrace of AYB" C vuponthe transferrer 23 and slide it over the sphere to'thejtriangle AB C. An attempted superposition `brings out Athe fact that although thetriangleshave lequal parts these parts areoppositely arranged-ene., they' 'are symmetrical. This handy in the study of the proposition two spherical triangles have two sides and'i'ncluded angle of one respectively'equal totwo sides and 1n veluded angle of thev other, thetriangles are congruent or symmetrical. Wlfen the trans- IIO ferrer is made of transparent material, it ises- `pecially useful in geography to transferigures by tracing from an ordinary globe toV the transparent sphere. f

The spherical'protractor has the 'same general uses as an ordinary one has-Ui.v e., the construction, bisection, and comparison of angles, and inI addition themeasuremenlt of t is also useful in drawing and showing polar re- Y. lationships. l,It can be used in geography for The construction o the base 3 with its' clam 4 by p-ermittin the hollows here to be readi y taken off ena les one -to p ace inside various iigure forms, such as lthe form 10 `of Fig. '2. The base also gives great stability to the apparatus.

. Having thus described my invention, what i board, having a center sight.

3. An educational device for teaching spherics, comprising a transparent, hollow, spherical board, Yhaving an open foot; a base on which the board is supported by its foot, and

a clamping device engaging the foot for removab y connecting the oard with the base.

4. An educational device for teaching spherics, comprising a transparent, hollow, spherical board, having an open foot by which it isv supported; a base with means for detachably connecting the board thereto, and means on yzo the base for supporting Aaccessory devices within the transparent, hollow board.

5. An educational device for teaching spherics, comprising a transparent, "hollow, s herical board, having an open foot by whic it is supported; a base with means for detachably connectingxthe board thereto, and a post rising from t e base through the openvfoot of the board, adapted tosupport accessory de# vices within said transparent hollow board.

6. An educational device for teaching spherics, comprising a transparent, hollow, spherical board, having an open foot by which it is supported; a base with means for detachably connecting the board thereto; a ost rising from the base through the open oot ofthe board, and acenter sight having a .stem re movably fitted to said post.

7. An educational device for teaching spherics, comprising a transparent,y hollow spherical board, having an open foot by which it is supported; a base with means for detachably connectin kthe board thereto; a ost rising from the' ase throu h the open Foot of the board, and a iigure crm havin a stem re-y movably itted to the post where y said form is supported within said transparent hollow board.

8. In an educational device for teaching spherics, the combination of a transparent, hollow, spherical board, with a figure form' removably fitted in its cavity in such relation to its wall as tobe ca able of being traced upon the surface ofthe card.

9. In an educational device for teachin spherics, and in combination with a spherica board, a spherical protractor adjustably fit# a great-circle ted thereto and com risin band, and suitable ha f-circ e bands secured thereto.

10. In an educational spherics,' and in combination with a spherica board, a spherical protractor adjustably iitted thereto and com risin a great-circle band, and suitable ha f-circ e bands secured thereto, said bands having scales and reading-arms for measuring angles and arcs.

11. spherics, the combination of a transparent spherical board with a spherical rotractorV adjustably itted to its surface an lcom risingfa great-circle band and suitable hal -circle bands secured thereto, said bandshaving scales and reading-arms for measuring angles and arcs. I i

12. In an educational device for teaching spherics, the combination of a transparent spherical board having a center sight, and a spherical protractor adjustably fitted'to the surface of said board and comprisin a greatcircle=band and suitable half-circle ands secured thereto, said bands having scales and readin -arms for measuring angles and arcs.

13. nan educational device for teaching spherics, the combination of a transparent vspherical board, and a concave transfer-plate ada ted to` be fitted to and to'slide over the su ace of said board.

14. .In an educational device for teaching spherics, the combination of a transparent spherical board, and a concave transfer-plate ada ted to be litted to and to slide over the su ace of said board, said transfer-plate being made of transparent material.

n witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. i

ROY ERNEST DIOKERSON.

device for teaching.

In an educational device for teaching 

